Sarah Oluwapelumi Babs-Apata achieved a triple-starred distinction in the Engineering BTEC at Christ the King Sixth Form College. She is now studying for a degree in Civil Engineering with Architecture at Leeds University.

"I’ve always been really interested in problem-solving and have a great appreciation of structures and the creative process – it just sparked an interest in me. My first interest, before I discovered engineering, was architecture.

A lot of people, especially my family, thought that as I’m a very academic person I should do A-levels in sciences or the law, but I always liked the creative side as well as the academic.

BTECs are really under-rated. People don’t know how beneficial the course is.

I studied Physics, Maths and Further Maths along with Engineering. The breadth of the course gave me the foundation of knowledge to really progress in the field of engineering.

I was initially worried that I would be overlooked by top universities, I thought universities were going to be prejudiced against BTECs, and so at first I was in the anti-BTEC mindset. But this wasn’t the case and now I’m at a Russell Group university!"

"BTECs are brilliant for people who are really good at taking command of their own learning: they’re much closer to a degree than A Level in terms of style of learning. Students get a lot of autonomy; they can do research, for example.

They’re great for students who wouldn’t be able to reach the first rung of the ladder at A Level, either because they lack the confidence to embark on an A Level or because they don’t yet have the skills.

The BTEC Extended Diploma, for example, is recognised as equivalent to three A Levels, so there’s no question about the rigour of the course, with students being offered the full range of grading criteria, Pass through to Distinction, from the word go!

I find that students mature into this style of learning. The Engineering BTEC includes Maths, Physics and Science. There are so many units to choose from: students can bring her own personality into their learning. And you can see them develop and grow as they get better at their studies.

The thing I like about teaching the BTEC is the freedom they provide for the teacher and students. You have rigour that’s easily the equal of A Levels but you can deliver each unit in a host of different ways and you can design your teaching to fit the students.

And it’s great to see the students progress – and to be able to see their progression in terms of the grades they get for each unit. They can’t move backwards – only forwards. That’s good for boosting their self-confidence, too."